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The Wizarding World is the society in which wizards and witches live and interact separate from Muggle (non-wizarding) society. The two communities are kept separate through the use of charms, spells and secrecy. Wizards are forbidden to reveal anything about magic to Muggle society due to the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Magic is honed through study, training and formal schooling, but cannot be simply learnt by Muggles. Non-magic skills, such as picking a lock with a hairpin rather than an unlocking spell, are uncommon to the point of novel rarity. Magic is used for mostly everything, including cooking, cleaning, traveling, communicating, child rearing and medical treatment. Although on the surface, magic appears morally neutral, the benevolence or malevolence of a spell's nature is tied to the intention behind it. For instance, the Cruciatus Curse cannot effectively torture a victim with pain inless the caster desires to do true harm to the victim. The technology of the Wizarding World appears Medieval in character as the use of magic precludes the need for advanced technology (as well as that magic interferes with electrical equipment). Government The Ministry of Magic is the United Kingdom wizarding world's central authority, bureaucracy and law enforcement. The Ministry maintains numerous departments and offices and is highly organized and efficient. The Ministry is led by the Minister for Magic. Politically, there is no separation between executive, legislative and judicial branches of power, and there is no elections. The Minister for Magic is selected by the current Minister for Magic and approved by the Wizengamot and International Confederation of Wizards. The Wizengamot Court System judges those guilty of breaking wizarding law and determines the fate of criminals. Trials consist of a short hearing with no lawyer or arbitrator and without any possibility to appeal. Criminals may be sent to horrible places such as Azkaban or Nurmengard for punishment. In cases where individuals have been wrongfully imprisoned, the Wizengamot barely issues an apology but merely continues with its work. The situations in which this have occurred have been extremely rare. The Ministry of Magic controls a great deal of wizarding life, including methods of communication, transportation, internal affairs between wizards and other magical beings, internal security of the wizarding world, non-trade-able material and even sports. International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy Enormous effort is expended to keep Wizarding society from Muggle knowledge. Enchantment of Muggle property is forbidden, underage wizards are restricted from using magic without a license, and any deliberate revelation of magic is punishable. These always were created by the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and are enforced by the International Confederation of Wizards and the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry does not answer to any part of the Muggle government, but its head is obliged to inform the Prime Minister of events that could cause Muggle notice, such as escaped criminals or the importation of highly dangerous magical creatures. Other exceptions include the Muggle relatives of wizards. Geography Though wizards live all over the world in various places, there are some Wizard Villages where there are many wizards in one location, or where no Muggles live at all. The only all-wizard village in the United Kingdom is Hogsmeade. Although, there are quite some villages, such as Godric's Hollow and Ottery St. Catchpole, inhabited by, Muggles as well as witches and wizards. Economy The main economic entity in the United Kingdom is Gringotts Wizarding Bank, which is run by goblins and an intense security system which includes a subterranean maze and dragons. There are hundreds of thousands of vaults, each with a unique key. Wizarding currency has one type of bill, three types of coins and no decimal system. The bill is the Dinar, while the coins are Galleons, Sickels and Knuts. Conversion rates: *10 Galleons to a Dinar *17 Sickles to a Galleon *170 Sickles to a Dinar *29 Knuts to a Sickle *493 Knuts to a Galleon *4930 Knuts to a Dinar All other wizarding communities have their own system of currency, however, but there is an International Currency Exchange. Medicine While Muggle medicine first attempts to stimulate the body's own healing and defense systems, magic can simply impose well-being or create healing from a source other than the body's own system. Potions, spells and magical bandages are administered by trained Healers. Pepperup Potion relieves the symptoms of colds and flu and Cheering Charms provide a rudimentary mood stimulation. Where home remedies and ordinary wizard skills fail, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries employs Healers who attend to everything from fixing conventional ailments to long-term care for victims of severe neurological damage. Society The society of the Wizarding world is centered around two facts: That the members can use magic due to inborn capabilities to do otherwise impossible things, and that it is not possible for Muggle society to coexist peaceably alongside Wizarding society and therefore it is kept secret. Internal Relations The most obvious example of wizard prejudice is what ranges from a longstanding disdain to genocidal hatred for Muggles. Muggle-borns, and half-blood wizards. Older wizarding families and wizarding society elite lord blood purity over others. The practice of pure-blood intermarriage left many with mental illness caused by incest. Wizards appear magically capable until advanced old age, there seems less prejudice toward the old. Young wizards and witches, on the other hand, are often not respected till of legal age. Werewolves, perfectly normal human beings the majority of their lives and terrifying monsters for a small fraction of it, are so hated and despised that to reveal their affliction is to end all possibility of future employment. Some werewolves, such as Fenrir Greyback, infamously used their lycanthropy to take revenge on society, however most suffer in secrecy due to fear of becoming cast out from society. Giants, normally solitary creatures given to territorial aggression, were rendered nearly extinct by the refusal of wizards to allow them near habitable land. This forced their kind to cluster together in desolate rocky lands, leading to in-fighting and further deaths. Giants are so feared by wizards that gentle and intelligent half-giants such as Rubeus Hagrid are made to feel ashamed of their heritage and suffer the same predujice that Muggle-borns and half-bloods do. House-elves willingly and joyfully do whatever tasks their wizard masters ask of them, have thus been ruthlessly exploited for centuries as a slave-class. The fact that they seem to like being enslaved has made wizards send their house-elves on life-threatening errands at all corners of the globe. The casting-out of a house-elf from a family is the deepest and most traumatic punishment imaginable for them. This most often leads the house-elf to harm itself in grief to the point of death. Goblins, while they appear to have at least a grudging co-existence with the wizard world, have nonetheless experienced much discrimination from wizards, and many have led significant uprisings against them in the past. Muggle Relations Most things of magical nature are hidden from Muggles. However to wizards, the Muggle world is also very mysterious. Wizards tend to blunder attempts to disguise themselves as Muggles when they venture into Muggle society (for example, wearing clothing meant for the opposite sex). Muggle technology, such as the telephone or revolver, are foreign and obscure to wizards. Muggle Studies is offered at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but the subject is considered a waste of time to some. Religion Wizards practice all manner of faiths and religions, however the most prominent religion among them is Christianity. Christmas and Easter are celebrated communally, though the celebrations mainly cover the non-religious portions of the holidays. Witches and wizards can be members of any faith, and there is no specifically wizarding religions. Though witches and wizards can be members of any faith, the official religion of Wizarding United Kingdom is Christianity. Education An untrained wizard child may perform random bursts of magic intuitively when distressed or excited. Honing and controlling this into a usable skill takes years of education. There is no official elementary school, however parents may home-school their children or send them to Muggle schools until they are of age to move on to formal wizarding education, in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for example, the age of entry is eleven years on or before September 1st. Ability to use magic is automatic grounds for admittance to wizarding school. There is a magical quill that writes down the name of those that are born with magical capabilities. Eleven years after a child's name is entered into the book, a letter is sent to the child's home to explain that they have been accepted to school. The homes of Muggle-born wizards receive an envoy to explain the situation. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, located in Scotland, provides education to students in England and Scotland. Students may enroll at age eleven and undertake seven years of training in a wide variety of subjects. When education is complete, graduates are considered mature and capable members of the wizarding society. Some subsequent professions, such as Auror, require additional education and training. Wizarding Examinations Authority The Wizarding Examinations Authority examines students in their fifth and seventh years at Hogwarts who sit OW.L. and N.E.W.T. exams. Other Wizarding Schools associated with the United Kingdom Wizarding World *Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, located in Wales and provides education to young witches who live in Wales. *Durmstrang Institute, located in Wales and provides education to young wizards who live in Wales. *The Salem Witches and Wizards Institute, located in the U.S. is connected with the United Kingdom Wizarding World in the fact that they share information and host foreign exchange students. Transportation and Communication As witches and wizards live in any and all areas of the known world, wizard modes of transport and communication must cover distances in a variety of ways. Apparition Apparition allows an individual to vanish and appear at another place almost instantly. The act of Apparating creates a noise ranging from a small pop to a loud bang. It is difficult technique to master and becomes increasingly unreliable over long distances. It requires complete concentration on the destination, determination and focus upon the desired location, and deliberation and certainty of reaching the goal. Only of-age wizards who qualify for licenses may legally Apparate. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry offers Apparition classes to students ages seventeen and older. Side-Along Apparition allows those with licenses to bring minors along with them. Poor focus may result in splinching, which causes body parts to be separated and left behind. The process of Apparition is said to feel like being "forced through a very tight rubber tube". Floo Network Floo powder is a green powder that is thrown into a lit fireplace and allows for a portal to connect to another fireplace at a desired location. The system is operated and overseen by the Floo Network, which is based at the Ministry of Magic. A fireplace must be connected to the Floo Network for one to travel to it, and fireplaces can be connected temporarily, in the case of traveling to Muggle homes. Flying Wizards use broomsticks to travel long distances, or for sport, particularly in the game Quidditch. The Cushioning Charm invented by Elliot Smethwyck provided comfort. Some modern broomsticks include the Comet, Cleansweep, Nimbus, and Firebolt. A range of flying creatures are also available for transport, such as Thestrals and Hippogriffs. Portkeys Portkeys are objects that allow for travel across extreme distances or to places that have been charmed against detection. Portkeys may send unsuspecting people anywhere, and so they require Ministry authorization to use and operate. They are disguised as ordinary trash, such as a crushed aluminum can or a dirty, discarded sock, so Muggles will ignore them. Portkeys can be set to activate either at a prearranged time, or as soon the person comes in contact with them. Owls The most common means of communication is owls, which cooperate with wizards to convey packages, messages and letters. In some circumstances, the owl will request payment or food in exchange for services. In circumstances that a wizard or witch owns a separate animal that can be used instead, they are. Miscellaneous *All-wizarding radio stations exist, and the radios that receive the frequency are magical. *The Knight Bus taxis stranded wizards to anywhere in the United Kingdom. *Hogwarts students are transported to and from the school on the Hogwarts Express, a train that departs from a magically hidden rail platform in London. *The Durmstrang students travel on a ship. Even though it appears from a whirlpool in the Hogwarts lake, there is still rowing involved. The ship acts like a boat on water but with anti-Water spells to prevent water entering the boat. *The Beauxbatons students travel in a carriage drawn by great horses with wings. *Flying carpets are a primary form of wizarding transport in Asia, and are designated as contraband in the United Kingdom. *Very rarely, a Centaur will allow a human to ride on his back. This is the most solemn of events, offered only to highly honored riders. *Photographs and portraits in the wizarding world are usually enchanted so that they move, with photographs acting as brief, looping recordings of an event or person, while portraits possess a form of enchanted intelligence that allows them to communicate with humans and each other, to move locations of their own accord under certain circumstances, and to pass along messages and advice reflecting the personality and knowledge of the original subject. Category:Browse